Former Rep. Bob Barr considering another run for Congress

Bob Barr served as a colorful congressman from Georgia between 1995 and 2003. Now, he’s considering a comeback.

Barr told The Daily Caller that “some supporters are encouraging me” to run for Congress in 2012. He noted that because of redistricting, “much of the new 14th District was part of my old 7th District.”

The race would likely pit Barr against Republican Rep. Tom Graves, who was elected in 2010.

Jim Galloway of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution first reported on Friday that Barr was entertaining a return to Congress.

“Barr has told friends that he’s contemplating an attempted return to Congress — and a return to the Republican fold,” Galloway reported.

“In August, the Legislature redrew Graves’ district to include heavily populated Floyd and Paulding counties,” noted Galloway. “Barr has told acquaintances that he would move to Paulding.”

Barr told TheDC that there is “no decision made yet.”

While in Congress, Barr most notably authored the Defense of Marriage Act, helped to lead the impeachment hearings for President Bill Clinton and blocked an initiative to legalize medical marijuana in Washington, D.C.

He also voted against the resolution authorizing the Iraq War and voted for the PATRIOT Act after successfully introducing sunset provisions.

After leaving Congress in 2003, Barr recanted several of his previous political positions.

In 2006, Barr joined the Libertarian Party. He served as a lobbyist for the Marijuana Policy Project and now supports medical marijuana, opposes the PATRIOT Act and the War on Drugs, and would like to see the Defense of Marriage Act repealed.

If Barr returned to Congress, he would likely be one of only two Republican supporters of the Respect for Marriage Act — the other being Florida Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.

In 2008, Barr ran for president as the Libertarian Party’s candidate, garnering over 500,000 votes nationwide.

The office of Rep. Graves did not respond to TheDC’s request for comment on a possible primary challenge from Barr.